The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-17
ooMANcHE pErE,s CONVERSION.
Religious Exhorter Now But He Used
to Shoot at the Drop of a Hat.

to Shoot at the Drop of a Hat.
Las Ve0as Letter in Kansas city Times.
Something of sensation has been caused
lately in New Mexico cowboy society by the
sudden and complete conversion of Co
manche Pete, one of the erstwhile widest,
wickedest, cussedest one of them all. He
was known as "holy terror" would shoot
lat the drop of hat" and had the capacity
OF distillery for ardent spirits. He is
changed man now and spends his
time laboring among the cow
boys, endeavoring to turn them
from their evil ways. He quit drinking,
hut takes mo bluff from the rougher ele-
ment which sometimes endeavors to drown
his voice while he is exhorting. He tells
them that if they want some pistol play he
is .willin', and fellers, you know | generally
kills my meat" He is another Sam Jones
in embryo, has all of the Western dialect,
and uses as Illustrations such thing only as
his hearers are familiar with. His talk re-
Gently in Billie & Joe's saloon may not have
been strictly orthodox, but it was impress
sive and effective also
''Fellers, you are mavericks now; there
is no brand on you yet. Your mothers and
sisters and mebbe fathers belonged to Gods
outfit, but you sUrayed away before the
spring roundup commenced at home. You
became a maverick. and every outfit has
men out after you to catch and mark you.
Gods outfit has hundreds of men hunting
you, an so has old man devil. Gods major
domos are kind, good men, who will take
you to green range, with plenty of pure,
cool water, an you'd better git his brand on
you right off. You're dead safe with that
outfit, but you mustn't monkey along nib
bling at all the green grass you happen to
see along the trail of life Old man devil
will rope and brand you eff you do
and then when the final roundup
comes and they cut out all
brands but their own you will find
yoursefs browsing around on the short
burnt ranges of hell. You remember, fell
lers, that dandy green trail that led down
to the Pinevetas, and how Bill Archer fed
his herd along there, thinking green grass
and shade trees and good water was all
along. You know how they got down into
that canyon and struck only sand and
alkah, and how, before they could get out,
a sand storm struck them and killed most of
the outfit. Well, that's the way exactly the
trail is that leads to the ranges of Lucifer's
outfit. A good many of you are on that
trail now. and you'd better turn off
on side trail. The devils brand
ing pens are built, the brand
ing irons are hot, and you can't save your
sells nor turn back if you ever get your
heads in the chutes that lead to the brand
ing pen. You'll be alkalied, ard sand
stormed and stampeded through the
canyons, and mountains, and pits of hell,
and the heel-fy, and screw-worms, and
blacklegs will torment you as long as time
lasts. You'll be quarantined forever against
entering the pastures of heaven, and will be
held just outside sometimes, so you can just
look over and see what you lost by being
too broncho to allow white herders to rope
and brand you"
His talk affects his hearers because it is
evidently sincere and because of its quaint
ness and strictly "rangish" character. He
may do much good. Who knows just what
instrument God may choose to invite estrays
back to the foldi He certainly has wide
range to work over and he will find number
less mavericks" therein.